Thursday, June 01, 2006

I took a nice single track ride after work yesterday. Actually, I went right out of the door from work and straight to the dirt. Ahhh! How nice! There is nothing like raging some singletrack to wind down from a day at the shop! You should try it.

So, here I am on a favorite bit of trail. One that I rode on just a few days ago, and I notice how much more overgrown with weeds the track is. Just since last weekend! Arrrgh! I dread this time of year because it's fast becoming an impassable jungle out on the trails. Soon I'll be relegated to the road bike.

Oh yeah, I know, I know! Go out and maintain some trail, go ride on it anyway......la-di-da! Listen......I've done all of that over the years. Perhaps you folks just do not understand. Iowa trails become jungle! Tangled, twisted, mosquito infested, itchweed laden jungle! It about kills you to either ride in it or try to clear some of it when it's like this. Either you get bitten by a thousand mosquitos, or you get into the itchy nettles and poison ivy. You get intwined in tall foxgrass, as tall as you are on the bike, or you faint from the humidity and temperature which is magnified above and beyond what it is out on the streets. It's a never ending battle, too, because once cut down it comes back again within a week or so. Things grow fast out there in the woods at this time of year!

There are exceptions, of course. Places that have organized trail maintenance, for instance, can keep up with the Green Monster. However; the trails on municipal property in this area don't have that benefit. Nope. It's best to wait until late summer, when all of this jungle vege starts to mature and die off. Then things start getting alot better. Then the first frost comes and everything is glorious once again.

Yeah, the answer is road biking, gravel grinding, or loading up the bike to ride in a more friendly environment. So, the nice after work ride is going to get changed due to the overgrowth of the single track soon. Ah well, I'll enjoy it whilst I can!